Abstract

Ten years have lapsed since the Jali Commissionâ€™s final report became publicly available and it is therefore an opportune time to assess the state of South Africaâ€™s prison system. The Jali Commission was appointed when it became clear that the state had lost control of the Department of Correctional Services (DCS). Ten years on some notable advances have been made in regaining control and addressing corruption and maladministration. However, serious and persistent challenges remain. These are explored looking at policy development, the performance of DCS against set targets, governance and human rights violations. In all four of these areas substantial shortcomings remain and impunity for human rights violations is perhaps the most critical challenge as DCS has been reluctant to acknowledge the scale thereof and take firm leadership on the issue.Â

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